Bank counter protective device and door or gate latch



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Nov. 22, 1932. J. w. MTNTON ,888,880

BANK COUNTER PROTECTIVE DEVICE AND DOOR OR GATE LATCH Filed June 27. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l a# Vz-'Z @s l Aff A ffv I, l Tf" l//' *T 1 da W 1?/ f7 /D f6 fe f7 f' 9,1/

65 64 53,.` 5# W 6a k 55 TS'FESK-PTECTION AND RELATED DEVICES.

Nov. 22, 1932. J, wl MINTON 1,388,880

BANK COUNTER PROTECTIVE DEVICE AND DOOR OR GATE LATCH Filed June 27. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 f 36 39 @ZM 54 74 AND RELATED DEVICES.

Nov. 22, 1932. J. w. MINTON 1,888,880

BANK COUNTER PROTECTIVE DEVICE AND DOOR OR GATE LATCH Filed June 27, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Chg. i0. 55

J W M271 a@ AND RELATED DEVICES.

Patented Nov. 22, 1932 FFICE JOHN W. MINTON, OF MEBANE, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF FIVE PER CENT TO GEORGE S. RAY, OF MEBANE, NORTH CAROLINA BANK COUNTER PROTECTIVE DEVICE AND DOOR OR GATE LATCH Application filed .Tune 27,

This invention relates to a safety blind or grating and gate for a bank or other institution or place where money or valuables are handled and which are at all times subject to hold-up or robbery.

It is aimed to provide a novel construction of device of this sort which will afford maximum protection and be of minimum cost and which will include grating which may be quickly manipulated so as to close and which will in turn effect locking of a gate or closure.

The more specific objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section through a banking room, showing my improvements, the grating being in front elevation at the tellers booth and the door being shown in section,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is an enlarged front elevation showing the grating as used at the tellers booth,

Figure 7 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 6,

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 6,

Figure 10 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of Figure 6,

Figure 11 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 6,

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken on the line 12-12 of Figure 11, and

Figure 13 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 13-13 of Figure 2.

Referring specifically to the drawings, a tellers booth as in abank is generally sug- 1929. Serial No. 374,230.

gested at A. The counter -as such booth is designated 10 and preferably has a solid or imperforate wall 11 extending therefrom to the floor of the banking room or the like shown as at 12. Mounted by uprights or other supports such as 13, is a shelf 14 at a distance above the counter. Between the counter and shelf, the tellers booth may have usual open work grating or the like as suggested at 15, the usual small opening or window 16' being provided through the same for the exchange of money between the teller on the one side and the customer on they other.

In the rear of the grating 15, bars 17 are disposed, each being fastened to the shelf 14 and some to the counter 10 and the remainder to a bar 18 substantially in line with the top of the window 16, thus avoiding extension of the bars across the space 16. Intermediate each pair of bars 17, a slat 19 is disposed, the same having trunnions 20 at their lower ends, journaled in the shelf 10 or bar 18 and also having trunnions 21 at the top journaled in the shelf 14 and extending above 'such shelf as square portions 22 on which cranks 23 are removably disposed and fastened by nuts 24 engaging screw threaded portions at the upper extremity of such trunnions. The cranks 23 extend into openings 25 of a slidable actuating bar 26 guided in its movement by brackets 27 fastened to the shelf 14. A. contractile spring 28 fastened to the shelf 14 and bar 26, urges the bar 26 to the right. Normally such bar is held in its position to the left, whereby the slats 19 are normally open. rllhe bar is thus held in open position by means of a detent 29, guided in its movement by a bracket 29 on said shelf.

In order to retract the latch 29 from across the path of movement of bar 26, to enable such bar to move to close the slats 19 to thereby provide an impenetrable wall above the counter, as suggested by the dotted lines in Figure 8, a rocker rod 30 is journaled in bearings 31 on top of the shelf 14. Thus rod 30 has a depending lug 31 which extends into an opening 32 of the detent 29.

Said rod 30 is adapted for operation from various or a multiplicity of places or positions in the rear of the tellers booth, by hand or by foot or otherwise and to this end it has a plurality of cranks 33 extending therefrom, from which actuating cords or iiexible elements 34 depend, several of such elements being joined by a bar 35, if desired, ad] acent the window 16. The shaft or rod 30 is n ormally urged into position kcausing progection of the detent 29, by a contractile spring 33a,

' of the shelf 14, it being realized that when the bar 26 is shifted to the left against the tension of its spring 28, that latch 29 slides forwardly into the path of movement of such bar through the actionl of the spring or springs 33a.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of one or. more doors, preferably of metal, as shown at 42, the same being arranged inwardly of the main door 43 of the bank or room 12. Such doors 42 are urged to the position shown in the drawings by means of spring'hinges 44 and -between the same a housing 45 is fixed. Normally the doors 42 are free to be swung either way by customers in 4entering or leaving the bank. However, inthe event of a hold-up and closing of the slats 19 as previously described, the doors 42 are adapted to be locked, so that the criminal holding up the b-ank cannot escape. In this connection, the housing 45 has a pair of slidably mounted latches 46 therein provided with lugs 47, directly slidable in the side walls thereof and adapted to engage the doors 42 on opposite sides thereof. Normally the latches 46 are held together and urged into that position by a contractile 49. The latch 59 overcomes the tendency of spring 52 to actuate the bolts 49. Pivoted at 60 withinv the housing or casing 45, is a lever 61 interconnected with the latch 58 at 62, such lever 61 being urged into position maintaining the engagement between latch 58 and notch 59 by a contractile spring 63fastened to the lever and the housing 45. A flexibleelement or cable 64 is connected to the'lever 61, being trained through a guide Vmember 65 and over a guide pulley 66 and connected to the lever 38.

As a result of the construction described, wheneither of the elements 34 or 35 are moved downwardly, the shaft or rod 30 is rocked, thereby'releasing the bar 26,so that spring 28 elfects closing of the slats 19. At the same time, rod y30 exerts a drawing strain on the element 64thus, retracting lever 61 and latch 58 and hence since the rotation of said rod 30 pays `out` a portion of the cable 53, the spring 452 pulls the bolt 49 downwardly, thus moving the latches 46outw`ardly into locking engagement'with the,4 door 42.

Various changes may be resorted to providedthey fall within the spiritrand scope of the invention. l

I claim asmy invention A device'of the class described comprising slats, cranks on saidslats, an actuating element for said cranks, 4means to urge actuation of said element, a rock shaft, means to actuate the rock shaft, a detent for said element, means mounting thezdetent for slid- .ing movement transversely of the path of movement of theelement, an operative connection between said. shaft and detent, a lever on the rock shaft extending rearwardly beyond the device, and a flexible element connected to the lever and. vertically depending therefrom in the'rear of the device for operation to retract the first mentioned element.

' In testimony whereof I aiiixmy signature.

l lJOHNW. MINTON.

`spring 48. Means are provided to separate the latches 46 to move them to door fastening position, through the'actuation of the rod 30.

A vertically slidable bolt 49 is mounted in the housing 45, having a portion 50 disposed between the latches 46 and above such portion has a wedge portion 51.. A contractile spring 52 is fastened to the bolt 49 and bottom of the housing 45, thus tending to draw the bolt 49 so that wedge 51 will spread the latches 46 into locking engagement with vthe doors 42. The bolt 49, however, has a flexible element or cable 53 fastened thereto and trained over a guide pulley 54. This connection normally prevents downward movement of the bolt 49 through the action of spring 52. A slidable detent 56, urged into locking position by a leaf spring 57, has a portion 58 engageable in a notch 59 on the bolt 

